I love unexpected homemade touches around the house, like these handle covers, and I always feel very clever and organized when I use them. We can all use a bit of that. They stitch up quickly and simply slip over hot handles to protect your hands when cooking.

MATERIALS:

Pots with oven-safe handles (e.g., cast-iron skillets)

Paper Felted knitted or leather scraps

Scrap pieces of quilt batting or Insul-Brite (I used both)

From the Crafter’s Toolkit:

Pencil or pen Paper and fabric scissors

Sewing machine and coordinating thread

Straight pins

TO MAKE:

1) Prepare a paper template and cut out the pieces. Using a pencil and paper, roughly trace around the pot’s handle to create a template and cut it out (it will look like a big U). Using this template, cut two pieces of felted, knitted or leather scraps, and four pieces of quilt batting or Insul-Brite, each 1/2 inch larger than your traced template. When finished, a double layer of batting will line the handle cover all the way around.

2) Prepare each side of the handle cover. With the fabric right side up and two layers of batting underneath, machine stitch across the top of the U, where the opening for the handle will be, about 1/4 inch from the edge.

3) Sew the handle together. Pin the two layers together with their batting sides facing. Pin the paper template to the center, if desired, to use as a guide, then carefully stitch around the U shape, staying close to the outside edge.

About the photographer: EJ Armstrong is the chief art and cookie addict at the Black Building. She has thirty years of experience in the visual world, making her the lead nagger, design junky and advice columnist. You can find her on Instagram @avisualist or see more of her photography here.